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'We had to prove to everyone we were still here:' How Corona Centennial reached the verge of its first CIF Open Division State Championship

When five-star Kylan Boswell left for AZ Compass Prep in August, Corona Centennial felt it was written off. Since then, Donovan Dent, Jared McCain and the Huskies have put together a historic run.

Donovan Dent heard the chatter. So did Jared McCain.

They watched closely as preseason expectations for Corona Centennial tapered off, all “because of one person leaving.” It pissed them off. Their teammates, too, so much so that head coach Josh Giles hasn’t really needed to use it to drum up extra motivation — the expectation was already there.

The transfer of five-star guard Kylan Boswell to talent-laden Arizona power AZ Compass Prep may have altered the outside expectations of the Huskies.

But it didn’t change their own.

In Dent’s eyes, Corona Centennial basketball meant so much more than one player, and it became their job to let the world know, too.

“It bugged us a lot,” Dent, a senior New Mexico commit, said, “because we’re still the same team. We’re still good.”

Seven months later, they’re back where they thought they’d be: on the precipice of the program’s first-ever CIF Open Division state title.

Centennial’s dominant regular season has approached historic heights in the playoffs. The Huskies (32-1) have won every game by an average of 27.5 points and are coming off of a 24-point win over Sierra Canyon (No. 18 in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings) entering the CIF Open Division State Championship game against Modesto Christian (30-5) on Saturday in Sacramento.

Last year they were the young, scrappy team that took down talent-laden Sierra Canyon in the exclusive private school’s own gym with LeBron James and Drake sitting courtside.

This year? The Huskies haven’t skipped a beat — and have their eyes set on not just conquering the state of California, but also any national power in their path.

Giles may boast high-major Division I talent, but it didn’t arrive en masse via transfer.

So what is the secret to the Huskies’ success?

His players, Giles said, have bought into their roles — including those with the most talent and highest profile.

Take one practice in late January for example. The team was doing two-on-zero defensive slide drills, an exercise geared to improve technique. When Giles yells “floor!” players dive to the ground in an effort to be first to an imaginary loose ball.

It stood out to Giles that when it was McCain’s turn, he yelled “floor” for himself, broke into a sprint and threw his body at the floor, tackling a non-existent ball.

“How many five-star guys are doing a two-on-zero, calling floor, then doing it as hard as they possibly can on an imaginary ball?” Giles said. “It’s easy to coach guys like that.”

That’s why Dent, a senior, the Huskies’ leading scorer and a lead-by-example locker room presence, is so effective and respected by his teammates.

“Your best players can’t be jerks," said Giles. "They can’t be hated by the rest of the locker room. They can’t become an island like you have this team, and this guy is over here because he’s so special.”

While Boswell, a recent Arizona commit, has seen his profile continue to rise at AZ Compass Prep, so too has that of McCain, his now-former backcourt mate.

The month before Boswell transferred, McCain was one of the stars of Peach Jam, a July Nike EYBL tournament regarded as the top grassroots showcase in the country, leading the Russell Westbrook-sponsored Team Why Not to a 16u title, averaging 20.5 points, 4.3 boards and 4.7 assists.

CIF SoCal Regional Boys Open Division Championship March 8, 2022. Sierra Canyon vs Corona Centennial. Photo-Nick Koza86

That widely cemented him as a five-star prospect and attracted offers from likes of Duke and Gonzaga, among others.

His following also erupted on the popular social media app TikTok, where he now is approaching one million followers, opening up a steady flow of business inquiries and a fandom far beyond those tuned in to high-level high school basketball.

After games, McCain is typically swarmed by fans asking for pictures. To keep a level head and “stay true to myself,” McCain says he does yoga daily, meditates and reads a lot.

“If Jared was a jerk,” Giles said, “if he was a bad teammate, entitled, didn’t work hard, or tried to cut corners, I think it’d be really easy for teammates to get turned off by him and dislike him.

“Because he’s so opposite of that — he’s a great teammate, he includes his guys, he’s inclusive — I think that’s what changes (the dynamic).”

“I promise you,” Dent said, “he’s more than just a TikToker. A lot of people don’t even know that.”

It doesn’t stop with the stars. Devin Williams, a 6-foot-9 junior forward, has taken the outside perception following the Boswell departure the most personally. And players and coaches credit the Huskies’ role players, like senior Ramsey Huff, who Giles calls the team’s “junkyard dog.” 

Huff, a 6-foot-1 guard, has slid into the starting spot vacated by Boswell seamlessly, and made his mark by defending the opposing team’s best player and becoming a knock-down shooter.

He’s averaging around 11 points per game and has been key defensively against national-caliber components like Duncanville, No. 2 in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25, Texas UIL 6A semifinalist Kimball, Arizona public school power Sunnyslope, as well as the vaunted CIF South Section Open Division.

“He’s been one of the key secrets to our success. It’s been beautiful,” Dent said. “He spaces the floor, guards the best player the whole length of the court, I honestly don’t think we’d be the same team without that guy.”

As the Huskies chase history, they have their eyes set on not just conquering the state of California, but also the country — if allowed.

Corona Centennial, No. 14 in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25, has a glistening candidacy for the new State Champions Invitational, an inaugural four-team national high school tournament in April for NFHS-affiliate state champions.

But it likely won't get the chance. The CIF has held firm with its stance against allowing teams to play in postseason national tournaments, so unless it changes course, the Huskies will be watching from home.

That won't change how the Huskies have elevated their play to near-historic heights.

“Since Kylan left, I felt like we were written off,” McCain said. “We got dropped out of tournaments. That was our chip on our shoulder … Nothing really changed. We’re still Corona Centennial basketball.

“We had to prove to everyone we were still here.”

---Andy Buhler; @AndyBuhler.